Assam: Administrative work post-delimitation to start shortly, says Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state government will shortly commence administrative re-organisation work following the delimitation of assembly and parliamentary constituencies. 

He said while some protests against the final delimitation report are taking place, people have to accept it as reality. 

The final report on delimitation, which was published by the Election Commission (EC) on August 11, retained the number of assembly constituencies in Assam at 126 and Lok Sabha seats at 14. 

However, it revised the nomenclature of one parliamentary and 19 assembly constituencies as mentioned in the draft notification. 

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The EC has stated that 19 assembly and two Lok Sabha constituencies have been reserved for Scheduled Tribes, while nine assembly and one Lok Sabha seats have been reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs). “The EC has given the final report. The delimitation notification will be issued by the President of India within two-three days,” Sarma told reporters here on the sidelines of a programme. 

The chief minister said he will mention a part of the state government’s plan about moving forward with the delimitation during his Independence Day speech on Tuesday. 

“The government has to now decide on the circles, block re-organisation, how the panchayats will work. Administrative reforms will be needed and we will have to work for two months non-stop on it,” the CM said. 

On protests in some parts over the final report, Sarma said, “Some protests may be there, but people have to accept that the delimitation has become a reality now.” 

Opposition parties have criticised the final delimitation report and termed it a ploy by the ruling BJP to safeguard its political future. They also alleged that the EC has failed to address the objections placed before it by the political parties as well as individuals and other organisations. 

Sarma claimed that the final notification has accepted some of the suggestions placed by the state government in line with the demands of the people. All assembly and parliamentary constituencies in the state were redrawn based on the 2001 census. 

The last delimitation exercise in Assam took place in 1976 on the basis of the 1971 Census. The EC had on June 20 notified the draft delimitation document.